In the construction trade it often is necessary to provide convenient and effective supports for pipes. For example, in residential construction, lengths of pipe will be extended in runs that need support by adjacent joists, beams, columns, or walls.
Various types of supports have been devised in the past, but none have been fully satisfactory, in that they seldom have been adapted to operate conveniently with a variety of materials which would be on-site in such a project. As one example, when a plumber is installing pipe in a residential situation, often the pipe being installed is ABS or PVC pipe and there are sufficient quantities of such pipe available for use as supports for other pipes.
In the past, various hangers have been used where the worker has had to find a scrap piece of material, such as a length of board, to be nailed between joists to provide a horizontal support, or to nail in a position depending downwardly for a vertical support and then attach some form of connector thereto. In other instances, devices have been devised which are not only complex, but also are expensive and inconvenient to manufacture and use, due to the higher number of component parts.
Recent hangers have reduced the number of component parts. These hangers may involve a fixed strap at the end of an elongate structure, which structure is nailed in place. Although these hangers overcome some of the complexity issues present in previous hangers, these hangers are difficult to use and do not accommodate a variety of job-site conditions. These hangers use straps that are attached at their ends by adjacent latching mechanisms. This configuration makes adjustment difficult and limits their use. Difficulties arise in situations where the only available support is an overhead flat surface, such as a ceiling or wide joist or in other situations where there is little space between the adjustment and the support. In order to adjust the length of the strap, a worker must fit his hand into the tight space to adjust the strap. Thus, the configuration of these hangers can make them difficult to adjust or release. Additionally, these hangers are not well suited to utilizing other pipes as support, as is often practical or necessary in construction projects.